Breathe
by slowrabbits
Summary: (Masami drabbles) Lately it had been too hard to breathe.
1. un

**Breathe**

_by slowrabbits_

* * *

_**Un**_

Lately it had been too hard to breathe.

Her nana called it growing pains. Asami did not understand it. The constants in her life were still there, the events involving her mundane at best. She still kissed her father on the cheek to say good night and she still prayed to the spirits for her mother's happiness in the afterlife. The hotshot test drivers from the factory still catcalled when she passed and she still felt the same satisfaction whenever she bested them in racing or fixing up a busted engine. Everything was all the same, but it was getting too hard to breathe.

She knew it had hugely to do with her father. Hiroshi Sato had always been busy, but he always found the time to have lengthy conversations with his daughter about her day, or the concept for the new line of engines he was developing. Lately, he'd been turning her away more frequently and at one point he'd even yelled at her for entering his study without knocking. The plump man had been quick to apologize and had offered to take Asami out to an expensive restaurant for dinner. But things had not changed back to the way they once were; the looming dread still clung to the air in the Sato mansion and seemed to follow Asami even to wherever her speedy driving took her.

It was with a heavy heart that she left the mansion that day, strapping on her helmet and goggles before mounting her moped. Her father had not been present for breakfast and hadn't even bothered to seek her out during the three hours she waited for him. His assistant, who Asami had run into just an hour ago, informed her that Mr. Sato had not left for work yet, but was terribly busy in his workshop, and no, Miss Sato, Mr. Sato would appreciate that no one bothered him during such a crucial time during his work.

_Bother_. The word left a bitter taste in Asami's mouth. She knew better than to think that her father saw her as a bother, but she still couldn't help the ugly fluttering in her stomach. Just what was her father obsessing over in that workshop of his?

So tousled were her inner ramblings that she did not see the lanky boy crossing the street.

Next thing she knew, the boy was screaming and she was swerving to the side. She watched the boy roll gracelessly farther down the road and it was enough to make Asami jump off her moped and rush to his aid. With shaking fingers she fumbled with the hook of her helmet before removing it.

"I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't see you."

* * *

**Notes: **Guess who's not dead? THIS GIRL!

I've been pretty lame last year, but I swear I haven't ditched any of my unfinished work. I'll get back to them soon maybe.

I'll probs update this quickly. As in tomorrow, or when I wake up in a few hours. This will be complete before Friday next week. They're meant to be a collection of drabbles on Asami/Mako's couple progress? Idek. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I have a small idea.


	2. deux

_**Deux**_

The boy's name was Mako (he wasn't a boy, not really). He was a year older than her seventeen, orphaned , a firebender and a probender, to boot. His hair was dark as hers and his eyes were pools of honey. He had a brother named Bolin who owned a fire ferret named Pabu. He wasn't a classic Asami Sato Suitor, but he sure made her feel as if her intestines were wild snakes, biting and twisting.

Mako was gorgeous. So much, in fact, that the sight of him reduced her to a gooey pool of hardcore lust. She could have went on for days about how handsome he was. How his hair was stubborn at the front and pliant at the back and smooth and thick like silky little aphrodisiacs. How his body was a wonderland; all hard muscles and calluses (she never thought in her whole life that she'd find calluses arousing). How he had the most amaaaaaaaaazing butt she was sometimes possessed to grab a chunk of-

Ahem. Allow her to digress.

They went on more dates: walks around the city (he made sure to bring her back before her curfew), intimate dinners at various restaurants (one time they argued about who wanted to foot the bill), early morning shopping along the market (most of the time, they didn't necessarily buy anything), meeting his brother and other teammate (an adorable earthbender and the hilarious avatar), stolen kisses in the locker room just before a game (and sometimes, more than that), and when Hiroshi was out of town they had rare night ins that were especially enjoyable when Bolin went out (Mako always bribed his brother to stay the night someplace else).

Something about Mako made Asami feel alive. She couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Maybe it was that whenever Bolin was up to one of his child-like antics again, his eyes softened with amusement in the way only a proud father's could. Or it could possibly be how he stumbled over himself to please her, when all he had to do, really, was be with her. Or maybe it was the fire that run like blood through his veins; bended expertly either for play or defense (_never for hurting_—Mako wasn't that type of person).

One afternoon, during a carriage ride around the park, she admitted that he made her feel safe. (Perhaps _that_ was why.)

Either way, she didn't care. She wasn't one to dissect a relationship until all the pieces were too small to reassemble. She was happy with him, and she figured that was that.


	3. trois

_**Trois**_

It took a long time for it occur to the heiress's mind that Korra was competition. It had taken her boyfriend going batshit when he found out that the Avatar was missing, Bolin revealing that his brother had kissed Korra, seeing the tender moments when Mako coddled the dark-skinned teen, their heated argument in Pema's kitchen and several other tactless actions on Mako's account before Asami registered that Korra meant to sink her claws into their favorite firebender. And by then, it had been too late; Mako was apologizing, they (vaguely) broke up and she went off with Bolin and Iroh to take down her father.

Next thing she knew, Mako and Korra were acting sickeningly couple-like and almost every opportunity found Asami walking in on the two of them trying to suck each other's face off.

It bought a revolting pang to Asami's stomach. She constantly felt as if everyone was shoving the new couple into her face, even though the better part of her knew better. Korra was her friend and she knew that Mako was really a good guy, albeit confused. But her feelings were not controlled by a switch; they couldn't be shut down just because Mako wasn't her boyfriend anymore. She meant what she had said—she cared about Mako. She always had, always will.

(_She was willing to leave everything for him. He had been willing to burn off a man's face for Korra. Asami knew she had to let him go; it wasn't healthy to keep torturing herself with the ache that came with pining for him, the boy who put wild snakes in her stomach rather than the standard fluttery, girly butterflies_.)

If it hadn't been for Bolin making the conscious effort to stick by her side throughout the whole time they were in the South Pole, Asami was sure she wouldn't have fared well during the transition from being in a relationship to single. She had never felt so alone than her time in the South Pole. Mako had been her support system when she had lost her home, her father and all the comfort of her riches. Approaching him with her troubles wasn't an option. When Korra wasn't wrapped around him, he was surrounded by admirers (read: _groupies_). And besides, she felt too ill at ease around him now. No matter his assurances that she was still very dear to him and that she could talk to him about anything, she still wanted more time to lick her wounds. Bolin, no matter how sweet, was still so naive and would not understand.


End file.
